Discover nature in August with Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center’s free programs! Nature Center at Night: Birds of the Confluence | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 2 at Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center | Registration not required.  Join photographer Paul Moffett in exploring the birds of the confluence! After retirement,…

The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Softball team has found its new head coach. He’s Ryan Hargrove of Salem, Arkansas. He replaces the team’s first head coach, Don Long, who resigned in May. Hargrove began his new duties Thursday, July 18. “We’re excited to welcome Coach Hargrove to our Grizzly family,” said Keri Elrod,…

The Ava Chamber has partnered with OzSBI to bring a Business Marketing Workshop to Ava on July 30th, with more workshops to be scheduled in the near future! Please view the attached workshop flyer for more details. Spaces are limited. Register by July 25th at https://crm.ozsbi.com/index.cfm… Chamber Members receive a $20 discount!

One hundred and two high school students participated in Missouri’s 61st annual Missouri Electric Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., June 14-20. Local delegates were Aven Goodnight (Nixa), Bridgette Fitzpatrick (School of the Ozarks), and Gretchen House (Chadwick). They were sponsored by White River Valley Electric Cooperative. The Missouri Electric Cooperative Youth Tour was a seven-day…

Better Business Bureau® (BBB®) has tips for what to do if someone pretending to be from a utility company knocks on your door. Utility impostor scams can happen any time of year, but are especially common during extremely cold or hot weather when people can’t go without their heat or air conditioning. In a utility…

Photo by Abbie Lankitus  Every year, Missouri farmers lose millions of dollars in valuable nutrients that wash away into rivers and lakes. These nutrients — nitrates and phosphates found in fertilizers — are crucial for plant growth, but they wreak havoc on aquatic life when they end up in waterways.  University of Missouri researcher Matthias…

The Missouri Department of Transportation’s Traveler Information Map is now accessible through internet browsers on mobile devices. The update allows the map to be displayed on mobile devices without having to download the Traveler Information Map App. The map provides the traveling public with traffic updates, road conditions and closures, as well as winter road…

Brandi Woosley, an OzSBI Mentee, has launched a new store on the Square in downtown West Plains: Life Phases Metaphysical Store. Life Phases offers a variety of products, including metaphysical books, crystals, jewelry, home decor and other items. They are located at #6 Court Square and officially opened for business on Monday, July 22 with…

Jimmie Lee Marler, PhD, is a distinguished biographee of Marquis Who’s Who. He was recently spotlighted in New York City’s Times Square on a 22-story screen that is passed by an estimated 1.5 million people daily. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are chosen from among a pool of the most…

Area residents interested in flying drones commercially can attend a workshop at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Aug. 5-7 to help them prepare for the FAA certification exam. The workshop is set for 5 to 8:30 p.m. each day at the Lybyer Technology Center, 605 West Main St., in West Plains. Residents must pass the…